Improvement in seam-joints for cans



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

E. A. THOMAS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEAM-JOINTS FOR CANS, 86C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 83,107, dated October13,1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. A. THOMAS, of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedSeam-Joint for Gans and Other Metallic Vessels; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to a new and improved joint or seam for joiningtheedgcs of the piece of sheet metal which forms the body or mainportion of a box or can.

The object of the invention is to obtain a side seam or joint which maybe made very expeditiously and be perfectly tight.

In the accompanying sheet of. drawings, Figure l is a horizontal sectionof a sheetmetal can or box having my improved side sea-1n or joint; Fig.2, a horizontal section of a portion of sheet-metal can or box, showingthe way in which the side seam or joint is made.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a piece of sheet metal, which is bent in cylindrical orother desired form around what may be termed a former, B. This piece ofsheet metal A forms the body of the can or box, and its edges are lappedone over the other, and vthe lapped portions are, by means of dies,swaged or struck up so as to form a raised dovetail projection, a,extending the whole length of A, a rib, b, being made by grooving theformer B, over which rib the dovetail projection may be readily swagedor struck up, as will be readily seen by referring to Fig. 2.

Afterthe dovetail projection a is thus formed, the former B is withdrawnfrom the sheetmetal cylinder A, and then turned and inserted in itagain, so as to `brin g a smooth surface underneath the dovetailprojection a, and the latter is iiattened down by a hammer, so as toeffectually close the joint, as shown in Fig. 1.

. By this means a tight side seam or joint for sheet-metal cans may beexpeditiously and perfectly made, and at a less expense than those nowused in the manufacture of sheetmetal cans or boxes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isl A side seam or joint for sheet-metal cansor boxes, composed of a dovetail projection, a, struck or swaged up onthe lapped edges of the metal, and then hammered or closed down,substantially as herein shown and described.

The above speciication of my invention signed by me this 24th day ofAugust, 1868.

J. A. BURTON, C. PERINGAsT.

